Public defence at the faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies

Dress code

The correct form of dress code for the doctoral candidates, the custos and the opponent is for females a black dress with long sleeves and for males, full evening dress with black waistcoat. Alternatively, formal suit may be worn. The doctoral candidate decides on the dress code. Where appropriate, participants may wear a doctoral gown. Participants holding Nordic doctorates are to carry their doctor’s hat in their hand while entering and leaving the room. During the public examination the hat is placed upon the table with the lyre facing the audience.

Progress of the public examination

The public examination begins 15 minutes past the hour by which time the audience will have arrived in the room. The doctoral candidate is the first to enter the room, followed by the custos and finally the opponent. The audience will stand up when they enter the room.

The public examination includes the following protocol: 1. Opening of the public examination 2. The candidate’s introductory lecture, lectio praecursoria 3. The opponent’s opening statement 4. Public examination of the doctoral dissertation 5. The opponent’s final statement 6. The candidate’s concluding words 7. Closing of the public examination.

1. Opening of the public examination
   When everyone has taken their seats (the candidate on the left of the custos) the custos will open the public examination by saying: “As the custos appointed by the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies of the University of Eastern Finland, I declare this public examination open.” After this the custos and the opponent sit down.
2. The candidate’s introductory lecture, lectio praecursoria
   After the public examination has been opened, the candidate stands up to give a short introductory lecture, lectio praecursoria, in which s/he introduces the background of the dissertation and its connections to scientific or practical problems. The lectio praecursoria may not last more than 20 minutes. The candidate should begin the introductory lecture with the following words: “Mr/Madam custos, Mr/Madam opponent, Ladies and Gentlemen.” The introductory lecture is usually given in the language of the dissertation. In case the language of the lectio praecursoria is different from the language of the public examination, the candidate should issue the opponent a translation of the lectio praecursoria. After the introductory lecture, the candidate says: “I now call upon you, Mr/Madam opponent/Professor/Adjunct Professor/Dr NN as the opponent appointed by the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies to present your critical comments on my doctoral dissertation.”
3. The opponent’s opening statement
   The opponent stands up to give his/her opening statement on the dissertation under examination. The opponent then concludes the opening statement and begins to examine the dissertation in detail. After the opponent has given the opening statement, the opponent and the candidate sit down. If there are more than one opponent, the opponents will have to agree on a division of tasks and announce this in their opening statement.
4. Public examination of the doctoral dissertation
   In the actual examination of the dissertation, the opponent first provides a general overview by discussing the choice of the topic, methods and data, and then moves on to a more detailed examination. At the end of the examination, the opponent makes a summary of the results of the dissertation to the discipline in question. The opponent may use approximately four hours for the examination and leave some time for possible questions from the audience. If the examination seems to take long, the custos may announce a break in between.
5. The opponent’s final statement
   After having examined the dissertation, the opponent stands up to deliver the final statement. The candidate also stands up to listen. At the end of the final statement, the opponent announces whether he or she will propose to the faculty that the dissertation be accepted. The opponent then sits down and the candidate remains standing.
6. The candidate’s concluding words
   The candidate thanks the opponent and then faces the audience and says: “If anyone present wishes to make any comments concerning my dissertation, please ask the custos for the floor.”
7. Conclusion of the public examination
   Finally, the custos stands up to announce that the public examination is completed. The public examination of a dissertation may not last more than six hours.

The custos and the opponent hold their doctoral hats in their hands when they leave the room: first the opponent, then the custos and finally the candidate.

The audience should not applaud or cheer during the public examination. Congratulations should be extended to the candidate only after s/he has left the room and has had the opportunity to thank the opponent and the custos.